A 90-year-old Indianapolis woman called police because she was stuck inside her home after the snow storm, and she was running out of food. The woman had no groceries and was eating peanut butter spread on taco shells, according to a police report.

She reached out to her church and her grandson to see if they could take her to the store, but neither were able to provide assistance because they were also snowbound. So, she called police, and two officers responded to her home.

Concerned about the next time the woman would be able to grocery shop again, one of the officers drove to the grocery store and purchased $60 worth of food to help the woman until the snow melted.

Aaron and Emma Blackwell, both teenagers, were taken from their home at gunpoint around 3:30 a.m. Monday, prompting an Amber Alert. Police tracked the case to Detroit, where a person of interest was identified Monday night. The children have since returned to Indiana and are being cared for by Child Protective Services, according to IMPD.

The children, ages 13 and 16, will remain with CPS until police can be sure they are no longer in danger. Police say the teens were likely targeted.

IMPD continues to investigate the abduction along with Detroit Police Department and federal law enforcement. Officials with IMPD said the teens’ older sister, Whitney Blackwell, was arrested on an outstanding warrant. According to sources with IMPD, police are investigating whether or not a possible drug transaction led to the abduction of the two teens. Police are also working to determine if other family members are involved.

It happenedaround 8:30 p.m. at the Kroger Pharmacy near 116th Street and Cumberland Road. When officers arrived they spoke with two employees who said a man walked up to the drop-off counter and gave them a note.

According to police, the note indicated the man had a gun. It also demanded various narcotics.

Police say the employees complied with the demand before the suspect fled the store. No one was hurt during the robbery.

Officers searched the area but were unable to find the man. He remained at large late Tuesday morning. Police have described him as a white male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a dark colored hat and a blue surgical mask.

Investigators believe someone may have seen the suspect exit the store and get into a vehicle. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Fishers Police Department at 317-595-3300.

Sigma Nu Fraternity Inc. and Purdue University made the announcement Tuesday. The chapter will be eligible to return to campus in the fall of 2017.

The suspension stems from reports of incidents of hazing, scavenger hunts, underage drinking and reported drug use during functions. The incidents occurred during the fall 2014 semester and were reported at the conclusion of the semester.

The suspension follows university and national fraternity investigations that concluded such activities took place. The fraternity and the university then took joint action to suspend the chapter. The decision was made in consultation with Beta Zeta alumni leaders and Purdue officials.

“Sigma Nu regrets the loss of the Beta Zeta chapter. However, in keeping with our mission to develop ethical leaders, the Fraternity cannot tolerate such violations of its law, policies and principles,” said Sigma Nu Fraternity Inc. executive director Brad Beacham. “For more than 124 years Sigma Nu Fraternity has supported the growth and development of students at Purdue University. We will work with Beta Zeta alumni leaders, university officials and student leaders to re-establish this legacy of leadership at Purdue in the future. We are grateful for our strong partnership with Purdue, and we appreciate the university’s continuing support.”

The 25 chapter members living in the house must find new accommodations. The Purdue’s Office of the Dean of Students is working with them to find housing options both on campus and off.

Once the suspension period is complete, members will be able to move back into the chapter house in the 1300 block of Tower Drive.

“Our Fraternity, Sorority and Cooperative community offers many positive contributions to the overall student experience at Purdue University. It is disappointing that this particular organization could not uphold the reasonable behavioral expectations placed upon them. I look forward to working with the organization’s national office after the suspension to assist in their return,” said Jeffery Stefancic, Purdue associate dean of students.

Purdue’s Sigma Nu chapter was placed on probation during the fall 2014 semester for hosting unregistered social functions. It was placed on probation during spring semester 2013 for making alcohol available to minors and trying to prevent Purdue EMTs and police from entering the house to check on a person’s well-being.

The FAFSA qualifies college age students for grants, scholarships, work study jobs and loans based on a family’s income.

March is also the month for most private scholarship deadlines, and those aren’t just for college age students.

Clayton Smith is a sophomore majoring in pharmaceuticals at Butler University. Smith started applying for scholarships when he was in seventh grade, after his parents told him he would have to pay for college on his own.

“[My mother told me] minimum wage is $7.25, so if you went to Burger King or McDonald’s you’d make $7.25. If you spent the same amount of time writing an essay for a scholarship that was only $100, let alone $500 — you’re now making 10 times or 12 times that minimum wage,” said Smith.

Smith started local, looking for scholarships in his Tipton County community. Then he branched out to state, regional and national awards. Smith made a list of all the scholarships he wanted to win.

“Then I started cranking them out and writing the essays for them and it paid off. It paid dividends. I look back on it and I’m so happy that I spent that much time applying for scholarships because some students come to school and they have no idea like how much it’s going to be,” said Smith.

Smith said he earned about $200,000 in scholarship money for a Butler University pharmaceutical degree, which takes 6 years to earn.

“Have a plan. You’ve got to start somewhere and you’ve got to start early. It’s just like investing money. You don’t want to start when you’re thirty. You want to start when you’re twenty,” said Smith.

Wells Fargo financial consultant, John Chec said prospective students need to start early. Mounting student loan debt is a problem he sees every day. National student loan debt has surpassed $1 trillion in the United States.

“That’s more than even credit card loans. We need to really be much more proactive in educating ourselves into what we can afford and how we’re going to afford it,” said Chec.

Next comes scholarship preparation. While it’s great to start in seventh grade as Smith did, Chec said not everyone will need $200,000 for college. He recommends starting the scholarship process during a student’s sophomore year.

“A lot of people spend summers like, you know it’s vacation. But summer for me was a time to really sit down, really look into scholarships really write the essays,” said Smith.

Smith said students should apply for every scholarship they are eligible for, even if it’s competitive or a relatively small amount of money.

“You have to treat it like money because it’s free money that’s just out there to be given to students. If you don’t apply for it, you don’t ever get it. If you can start at 7th grade, or freshman year and have a plan and you can lay it out, it will pay off,” said Smith.

For more information about the FAFSA click here. To look at Indiana scholarships click here.

MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — An Indiana mom says her son is now suspended after she refused to let him take the ISTEP. It’s something other parents across the state have done successfully.

There isn’t a state law governing how schools should handle the situation. Each individual school district is responsible to come up with its own policy.

Debora Harty sent a letter to Cowan Community School Corporation in Muncie asking that her son be removed from ISTEP testing last week. She received a letter back denying her request. The letter also mentioned that missing the test is insubordinate and can lead to disciplinary action. Monday, Harty called the WISH-TV newsroom and said her son had been given a three-day in-school suspension.

Harty explained why she doesn’t want her son taking the test.

“This goes toward the funding of the schools and the teachers, and it’s not fair to put these children through these long hours of testing which doesn’t come back to prove anything for them,” said Harty.

24-Hour News 8 has not been able to speak to the school district about what will happen with the child’s grade.

Photo taken on Interstate 65 on the northeast side of Indianapolis (Chopper 8 Photo)

In Indianapolis, state police say a box truck crashed onto its side on the northeast side of the city. This was on Interstate 465 northbound at the 20 mile marker, near Interstate 65. Major back ups were reported while crews worked to clear that crash.

Nearby on northbound I-65 at the 127 mile marker, a semi was in the median with heavy front end damage.

At least six crashes involving semis were reported along I-65 near Lafayette. Police say crash involving 2-3 semis was reported in the northbound lanes of I-65 at the 179 mile marker. A semi left the roadway on I-65 northbound at the 181 mile marker. At the 187 mile marker on I-65 southbound, a semi jackknifed. Police said there was another single-semi crash on I-65 northbound at the 193 mile marker.

Photo taken on I-65 near Lafayette (Twitter photo courtesy of Jay Lent)

In Montgomery County, a semi overturned on Interstate 74, closing some westbound lanes. This crash was near Crawfordsville at the 38 mile marker.

State police also reported a number of slide offs on I-70 near the 132 mile marker. The interstate was closed at the 137 mile marker, which is in Wayne County.

According to police, no injuries were reported in any of these crashes.

]]>http://wishtv.com/2015/03/03/large-stretch-of-i-65-near-lafayette-plagued-with-crashes/feed/0Tue, 03 Mar 2015 12:10:53 +0000Box truckwishericaberinger(Chopper 8 Photo)Photo taken on I-65 near Lafayette (Twitter photo courtesy of Jay Lent)Weather delays Rolls-Royce facility grand openinghttp://wishtv.com/2015/03/03/grand-opening-planned-for-plainfield-rolls-royce-facility/
http://wishtv.com/2015/03/03/grand-opening-planned-for-plainfield-rolls-royce-facility/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:28:08 +0000http://wishtv.com/?p=105819]]>PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — The grand opening of a new Rolls-Royce production and repair facility was scheduled to take place in Plainfield on Tuesday, but winter weather got in the way.

Workers at the plant on Columbia Drive planned to support the F-35 — one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world.

Top company executives, senior members of the U.S. Marine Corps and central Indiana leaders were expected at the ceremony but poor weather conditions prevented many of them from travelling into the area.

A Rolls-Royce spokesperson says the ribbon cutting event will be postponed for a few weeks.

The facility is open already. Employees have begun working and are performing services in support of the US Marines.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – City County Council members had their hands full Monday night with the chance to decide the fate of early childhood education, the city’s police force, and a multi-million dollar company.

The first big item on the agenda was the proposal to hire 155 IMPD officers, an idea that every councillor approved. All 29 of them voted yes.

Hiring the officers will cost the city more $7 million.

The money will go into a special fund called the “IMPD Recruitment Fund.” Once money is put in there it cannot be removed. Those dollars are to be spent on hiring officers only.

Fraternal Order of Police President Rick Snyder was excited that all the councillors were on board.

“I think it’s important even on nights like tonight that we all step back and reflect and think about what it took to get us to this point, of setting these differences aside,” he said. “Unfortunately there have been a lot of folks who have been injured and hurt and our own department has even lost officers in this process while we’ve debated these issues. So I think we all have a full appreciation of what’s at stake here.

Two recruiting classes will begin this year. Snyder said it’ll be anywhere from 12-16 months before they are actually out on the streets patrolling.

Some councillors agreed doing so will help while others just felt investing in education was a good idea.

But clearly not all of them felt that way. Some said city dollars shouldn’t be spent on education, instead on fixing streets and sidewalks.

Others felt spending money on educating children might stop crime years down the road, but not tomorrow.

“If we pass this out tonight, are you gonna go, is anyone here in the chamber viewing tonight going to feel safer in their homes, walking to their cars, leaving the mall, leaving the grocery store,” questioned councillor Steven Clay, (D) District 11, who voted no.

Another councillor shared their opinions on the vote.

“I believe though more importantly this is a moral imperative. We must do this and we are doing this for the kids that need it the most, the low income kids,” said councilor Jeff Miller, (R) District 19, who voted yes.

The money will provide scholarships for more than 1000 children from ages three to four year children. The program will cost about $55 million over the next 5 years. The city will only be on the hook for $20 million of it. The rest would come from corporate sponsors and the state.

One item the council decided not to move on was funding Angie’s List. The company is requesting $18.5 million dollars to help expand its campus on the near east side as well as hire about 1,000 workers. Councillors decided for the second time to move the proposal back to committee for further discussion.

It happened in the 2500 block of Caroline Avenue around 10:40 p.m. When officers got to the scene they found the man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS crews.

Homicide detectives spoke with witnesses at the scene. The victim’s identity has not been released.

AVON, Ind. (WISH) – Big decisions lie ahead for school leaders in Avon as they consider changes that could impact hundreds of families.

Superintendent Margaret Hoernemann said a task force of 28 parents, teachers, and administrators have been working since November to identify ways to improve efficiency through three areas: potential boundary adjustments for kindergarten through sixth grade, a review of school start and end times for all buildings, and the impact of those decisions on transportation services.

The adjustments could save an estimated $350,000 in transportation costs.

School leaders say the district needs to make adjustments after years of property tax caps and lost revenue.

“Since 2009 we have initiated many budget cuts and eliminated staff to keep up with reductions and finances from the state,” said school board president Anne Engelhardt.

Voters turned down a tax referendum a few years ago.

“We have to be efficient stewards of the taxpayers funds,” said Hoernemann. “So, before we ever go back to ask for more money, they have to be certain that we’ve used all of our funds efficiently.”

Task force members presented the potential changes to hundreds of parents, teachers and others during a public forum Monday night. Details on what the district is considering can be viewed online.

Michelle Madding has three children who would be impacted by the potential redistricting. She said it might be time to try another referendum.

“Maybe try that again before juggling up all of our kids and moving things around. That might be an option,” she said.

Administrators have offered an online survey for additional community input.

The school board will consider the options at a special meeting March 11.

The plan establishes a scholarship program to provide early education to needy children.

Mayor Greg Ballard has described the pre-K plan as part of a “holistic” approach to fighting crime in Indianapolis.

The concept has skeptics on the council. The vote was 19-10. One critic asked how helping three and four-year olds will help make Indianapolis safer.

In an interview with 24-Hour News 8, Mayor Ballard acknowledged that it will be a long time before there’s a pay-off to early education programs.

“But,” he said, “they’re here now. What ware we doing now to help that kid, to make sure he stays on the straight and narrow?”

Becky Aldrich, a pre-K teacher at Daystar Child Care in Indianapolis, told 24-Hour News 8 the children who receive these scholarships often come from homes where they receive little parental attention or just fulfillment of their basic needs.

“Maybe we can fill that gap. Fill that need when the parents are not able or they’re struggling with so many other things that their involvement with their kids is limited,” Aldrich said.

Ballard said the challenges of crime in Indianapolis require more than just adding officers to IMPD.

“We need to balance this out a little bit more. We’re going to put more officers on the street.” But, he also said the city “can’t ignore” the other problems that produce 1800 drop-outs in Indianapolis every year. “They’re just floating. You can’t ignore that. And we have been.”

After Monday night’s vote, Mayor Ballard released a statement.

“Tonight’s vote is a perfect example of the progress that is made when all parties work together to do what’s best for our city,” Mayor Ballard said. “Thanks to the priority this issue has been given, thousands of Indianapolis children will have access to high-quality preschool that will provide a solid start in their education. We would not be here without our generous corporate and philanthropic partners who share in our commitment to creating opportunity for every child.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is telling their officers to cover up their tattoos

An email was sent out on Saturday to notify officers of the new policy and it’s not sitting well with some officers.

People sounded off online after the email was leaked and many said they didn’t care about officers showing tattoos, as long as they continue to serve and protect.

IMPD wouldn’t talk about the email that was meant only for officers to see. It states, officers now have to cover visible tattoos on their arms and legs while on duty. The email was eventually leaked on Facebook causing a backlash of feedback to pour in.

“I care about the officers doing their job, that is to serve and protect. This has nothing to do with body art,” said James.

“Wow, gotta love priorities,” James wrote online.

“If someone is going to save my life, I am not thinking about that at all. It’s the least of my concerns,” Jennifer Windgart said.

IMPD says, they will not be commenting on this issue. The Fraternal Order of Police wasn’t available for comment either.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Have you ever wondered who answers the phone when you call the Mayor’s Action Center?

Winter is prime time for the people at the other end of the line.

From 7:30 Monday morning to mid-afternoon the call center took 1,200 calls. They say their job is to remain calm, even when callers are already annoyed.

“Thank you for calling the Mayor’s Action Center. This is Jeffrey, how may I help you?” said Jeffrey Burgin as he picked up the phone. He took over 200 calls in his first five hours of work.

The office is located on the 21st floor of the City-County Building. Just 12 people work there. This time of year is mostly about snow.

“Okay I’m going to go and get this taken care of for you and send it over to DPW,” said Burgin.

Once it gets to the Department of Public Works, crews are sent out to fulfill the request. Today they were clearing storm drains and intersections.

But DPW says they can’t do it alone. They’re asking for your help as well. George Hensley has been clearing snow from the storm drain on his street in Irvington for 30 years.

“It doesn’t bother me, it’s aggravating though,” said Hensley.

The city says this is especially necessary with rain in the forecast later this week, and temperatures above freezing.

“As that snow starts to melt tomorrow that water will have a place to go,” said DPW spokesman, Scott Manning.

The Mayor’s Action Center has also been getting calls about streets that aren’t passable, even the ones that have been plowed. The city says its because cars haven’t been moved.

“If you have an opportunity, please move your car off the street,” said Manning. That gives the snow plow drivers an opportunity to clear the street curb to curb.”

It also gives the folks in MAC a little bit of a rest

“Thanks for calling the Mayor’s Action Center,” said Burgin.

MAC has live callers 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you call during nights and weekends the calls get routed to the appropriate city department where its answered Monday morning. MAC can be reached at 317-327-4622 or online here.